Pots and Petals
by Annelise Esilenna
Summary: He thought she was cold, cruel girl who hated everything. She thought he was arrogant and had no respect for anything or anyone. Yet after one strange night, James Potter and Lily Evans would prove each other wrong.
1. Quidditch

A/N: Yeah, I wish I owned Harry Potter and all of J.K. Rowling's charming, COPYRIGHTED characters. Who knows what I could do if I did :P Characters and setting are copyright J.K. Rowling; plot is mine. Just giving credit and love where it's due. Pssst-all the names you don't recognize are mine :P Like his Quidditch teammates and opponents...and those Quidditch terms are in _Quidditch Throughout the Ages_.  
  
Pffft. This is my first one. Tell if if you love or loathe, I'm open to criticism and any reviews. Will be updated frequently :D  
  
PSSST - this first chapter's probably boring, but it'll get better. Promise :P  
  
[edit] Thanks, oobergoober; I knew James was Chaser but tried to portray him as a Seeker so he sort of had a view like Harry's; but I changed it, I think I do like him as a chaser better :) And yes, those other techincal points...fixed them up. Thanks for your review :)   
  
  
  
  
  
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"There he goes with the Quaffle--ducks right under Gaveny--excellent dodging from that Bludger, those Slytherin Beaters are getting quite vicious--and he scores!"  
  
He bolted around the airspace on his broom, smiling. He tried to forget that that was Gryffindor's first score in the game--Slytherin had already scored one hundred and seventy points.  
  
It shouldn't've been that way. Slytherin was playing the dirty game that year--Gryffindor earned penalties from the Slytherin team's interference, including fouls on Quaffle-pocking (they had punctured it so that it fell more quickly), stooging, and haversacking, just to name a few. At one point, the Slytherin Seeker dove straight at Keeper Jonathan Harrow, claiming to have seen the Snitch by his stomach, causing Harrow to duck at the last moment and cause Slytherin to score. They must have had at least a dozen opportunities to score, but the other Chasers, Vijay Rajah and Catalina Mercado, were so angry that they missed the goal posts.

As the game resumed the atmosphere grew more tense and hostile. The Sevenrock sisters, Marielle and Arlene, were two burly and incredibly strong sixth years. They were zooming around the field, whacking the Bludgers furiously with their clubs, watching with glee as they rammed into figures clad in green.

"Better get a move on, James, before Dave finds the Snitch," Marielle said through gritted teeth as she hit a pelting Bludger toward an opposing Chaser. "They're one hundred and sixty points ahead."

He flew below Lana Colella, who had dropped the Quaffle, and  pulled up sharply, zooming toward Catalina. He reverse-passed it to her, and she dropped the ball to Vijay inches away from the post, allowing him to score.

"Wonderful Porskoff Ploy by Miss Mercado there, and Rajah scores—Gryffinor behind by one hundred and fifty points—"

James couldn't hear the tiny witch doing the commentary. His eyes were fixed on David Morgan, who was diving at an alarming rate. Is he Feinting? _Dammit, please let it be a Feint_—

He didn't pull out. James's stomach churned as he headed to a green-robed figure with a red ball tucked under her arm. Stupid Lana. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a Bludger coming up fast behind him. He grinned, ducked, and stretched out his hands in anticipation as Lana was hit again.

"Another hit for Colella, and another spectacular catch by Potter—wait, what's Morgan doing—?"

James shut the sound out from his ears, subconsciously dodging the Bludgers and clubs that the desperate Slytherin Beaters had thrown. He flew up toward the goal post, raised his arm, and—

"GRYFFINDOR SCORES!" cried the little witch, her hat askew, "TRAILING BY HUNDRED AND FORTY—OH MY—"

At that moment, Dave lunged from his broom and grabbed the Snitch.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! GRYFFINDOR WINS THE QUIDDITCH CUP BY TEN POINTS! SNITCH CAUGHT BY MORGAN SECONDS AFTER POTTER SCORES THE GAME WINNING TEN POINTS—"

James flew around the stadium, his arm raised, screaming some victorious chant that he didn't quite understand himself. He landed on the ground, and with his teammates he dog piled Dave, laughing as he and Dave held the cup high.  
  
He was enveloped in a swarm of red robes, watching scarlet-striped scarves and pennants being tossed into the air in celebration before being surrounded by his team and fellow Gryffindors.  
  
_" Potter and Morgan's plays, they brilliant!"  
  
"Great match, chap! Mariana owes be fifteen Ga—erm, congratulations!"  
  
"WE'VE WON THE QUIDDITCH CUP-"  
  
"-and the House Cup, for sure-"_  
  
His black hair was damp with sweat and untidy as usual, his forehead dotted with beads of perspiration. He was exhausted, but his dark brown eyes glittered with delight and a bit of embarrassment as his teammates lifted him onto their shoulders, the Quidditch cup held firmly in his hands. Still, his disheveled state made him no less appealing.  
  
_"PARTY IN THE COMMON ROOM!"_  
  
James Potter smiled, a bit dazed and confused, but happy nonetheless, completely oblivious to the pretty red-haired girl that watched him through scornful yet curious green eyes.


	2. Perfume & Pastries

I don't own J.K. Rowling's characters, or her initial infamous original ideas, plots, settings, etc. Plot of this story = mine. End.   
  
It's been like, an hour. I'm pathetic and bored.  
  
  
  
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"James Potter, most wanted, cleverest, devilish lad at school," Sirius said, raising his cup high. "Gryffindor Quidditch captain and Chaser, and one of the many contributors to the reason of tonight's celebration!" A wild cheer rose among the Gryffindors, who were completely basking in their glory. "To James, our Seeker David Morgan, our Keeper, Jon Harrow, the lovely Sevenrock sisters Marielle and Arlene—"—he paused as both sisters kissed him on a cheek simultaneously—"—and to our arse-kicking Chasers, Catalina Mercado and Vijay Rajah!" Catalina jumped into his lap, giggling insanely. They roared in approval after each name was called. "To them, to Quidditch, and to the sealed fate of Gryffindor house!"  
  
They all raised their glasses of butterbeer, laughing as if they still couldn't quite realize the fact that they won they cup, and toasted.  
  
James smiled, still a little disbelieving himself as he reached for a Pumpkin Pasty. He'd already seen when Sirius and Remus had done to the Chocolate Frogs; they'd tested one on Peter, and he was croaking for days afterward. Stifling a laugh, he bit into one, but almost immediately spit it out.  
  
"What the bloody hell did you do to these?" he cried, taking a drink from a water flask he hid in his dresser in case of such an emergency.  
  
Sirius grinned. "Aaah...those. Not quite sure, really. One of the girls left their perfumes lying around, and I guess I sort of...tipped it into the box the other night?" His crooked smile grew wider. "Nothing fatal, I'm sure. Bit of a nasty taste, and it'll leave you smelling like a pretty lass, but that's probably all."  
  
A bit angry and embarrassed for not having foreseen something like that coming, James rolled his eyes and reached into his pocket for some sweets he'd smuggled from Hogsmeade. _This perfume's going to stick for ages,_ he groaned, knowing all too well the taunts he'd get from irritable Slytherins. _Sirius is a dead man if I can't get this stuff off._ He headed out to go to the toilet.  
  
Before he could go through the potrait hole and escape the din of the partying, he heard a light voice call after him.  
  
"Thought someone like James Potter would think beyond just trying to wash perfume away with plain water." It was obviously a girl. Her voice was smooth and quiet, yet still at the same time strong, maybe a little threatening.  
  
He turned to face her. Though he'd been on numerous dates and had an endless number of girls on his tail, he couldn't remember ever seeing this one. He was caught off guard by her small, almost sarcastic smile, her bright red hair, and her emerald eyes. _And she's in your house,_ he thought wryly, blushing a little. She was surrounded by stacks of books and parchments, with transfigured items littering the small table she worked at.  
  
She blinked, confused by his blank, somewhat admiring stare. _James Potter, caught off his guard? There's a sight you don't see everyday..._ But after a second, she regained her composure, slightly shaken by his countenance and her silent reply to it, and went on.  
  
"You're smart. Popular. Captain and Prefect to boot. Of course you'd think of a spell to get rid of that feminine smell, right?" James noticed that the girl put a slight stress on Prefect. _She must be the girl Prefect from Gryffindor..._ Quite a biting one. Pretty, too.  
  
He cleared his throat, raking his mind for a response. "And you assume that I'm going to the toilet simply to wash it off?" Which he intended to do, but he wouldn't let her know that.  
  
She bit her, lip, stifling what sounded like a laugh, and said. "You're a boy. You have a boy's mind. I don't reckon you'd know a spell to get rid of such a thing."  
  
James rolled his eyes again. "Fine," he conceded, tilting his head. "And I suppose you'd know a spell to get rid of strong odors?"  
  
"Actually I do."  
  
"Big surprise there."  
  
"D'you want my help or not?"  
  
"Sorry."  
  
She smiled smugly and drew her wand.  
  
"_Scentus eradicatus._"  
  
As soon as the words left her lips he could smell the perfume fading. He breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Thanks, erm--"  
  
"Lily."  
  
"Lily--"  
  
"Evans. Lily Evans." She rolled her eyes with as much expression as James did. "I've only been in the same house and classes as you for five years, you know."  
  
He blushed a little. "Sorry," he muttered, flushing more. "Haven't really seen you around." He shuffled his feet, suddenly conscious of his frayed robes and not-so-regal-looking slippers. _For a suave player you're not that high maintenance,_ he told himself. Hearing her cough loudly, he forced himself to look up at her.  
  
"So why aren't you joining in the festivities?"  
  
He thought Lily laughed. It sounded a lot like it, but something was off. It didn't meet her cold green eyes.  
  
"I don't have time for something frivolous as that," she said simply, returning to her work. "I do what I need to keep myself on top of things. Busy, at the very least." She peered at him almost suspiciously.  
  
"Don't you have a date tonight, Po--"  
  
"James, if you will. And no, I don't. I just won the Quidditch Cup two hours ago."  
  
She made a face. "Exactly."  
  
"It's not like every girl likes me."  
  
She looked up from the Potions essay she was writing, looking annoyed and exasperated.  
  
"You're handsome, popular, witty, and smooth. Any airheaded witch could fall for you."  
  
James shifted a little. He couldn't help smiling at what she said, feeling a bit selfish in the pride he took from Lily's words.  
  
"So you think I'm handsome?"  
  
Lily was startled by his question. She looked up sharply from her parchment, her hand moving so quickly that she knocked her inkwell over.  
  
"Dammit, you twit, look what you made me do!" she spat, trying to mop up the table with her robes. _Idiot. Why are you getting like this in front of stupid James Potter?_  
  
He was quite pleased at the effect that he had on her, and her was about to make a comment on that until he saw the fury in her eyes.  
  
"Sorry," he muttered immediate, performing a charm that removed inkstains. "I best be going now. Thanks for your help with that perfume."  
  
"Molly won't be very happy when she finds out someone laced your food with her favorite scent."  
  
"Molly?"  
  
"The other red-haired Gryffindor who hangs around with Arthur Weasley."  
  
"Oh." He was feeling quite stupid now.  
  
"And James?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You are the most obnoxious, cocky thing on earth. You owe me. Big time."  
  
"Thanks. I think you're a stuck-up girl who loves her books too much. Goodnight, Lily."  
  
Unbeknownst to her, he conjured up a layer of pudding under her bed's spread in her dormitory, and chuckled silently as he strode away.


	3. Stupid Potter

You get the idea of me not owning Harry and the gang. They own me. Fin. By the way, Ilona is my own character. I could think of no other name, so sue me.

Short chapter, no surprise, but it's going to have an impact.

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"Damn Potter. His hair is ridiculous and his glasses make him look weirder than Pettigrew when he was half-transfigured into a pineapple," she said, viciously stabbing a moving picture of him smiling and patting his hair down a little nervously. Upon realizing that he looked quite endearing in his scarlet Quidditch robes, she had taken her letter opener and started slashing up his photo.  
  
Ilona peered over her friend's shoulder, covering a grin by biting her lip. _Ah, Lily,_ she thought, smiling to herself. _So you've finally got something on your mind aside from what you scored on your Arithmancy test._ She coughed loudly, causing Lily to jump in her seat for the second time in ten minutes.  
  
"Er, Lily, is that Ja--"  
  
"No."  
  
""Cause it looks a lot like--"  
  
"_No_."  
  
"I've got some Bertie Bott's--"  
  
"_NO._ I mean, er, sure, I'll have some." Lily reached for a safe-looking pink one, looking up at Ilona and wishing she could be as pretty as her brown-eyed, blonde-haired best friend. But this time she got annoyed at seeing her smug face.  
  
"Wipe that smirk off your face, Ilona Mariano. It's not like--" She stopped chewing the bean that she popped into her mouth and started choking.  
  
"_Dammit, it's like that Muggle Pepto-Bismol crap!_ Where did you get that bag?"  
  
Ilona smirked again. "Potter gave it to me. Wanted me to hand them to you, actually." She dropped the bag on the table in front of Lily. "Ironic that you're attacking the picture of a very sweet and available boy who just sent Cupid to give you candy."  
  
"Cupid." Lily shook her head and laughed, for real this time, not faking anything. "Wonder which wizard thought that up to cover for something? Maybe he was eavesdropping on some lovesick giddy couple and stripped down to his drawers? And maybe he was--" It seemed like it was only then that she had fully absorbed her best friend's words, and she stood up, shouting furiously.  
  
"James Potter is _the_ most obnoxious, head-in-the clouds, cocky, rambunctious, superficial--"  
  
"He said you'd come off as a lovely girl if you weren't so obsessively studious and sarcastic," Ilona replied stoically, though it was hard not to burst out laughing hysterically when Lily was changing colors. "And if you think you hate him so much, how'd'you your hands on his picture? And why would you waste your time stabbing a mere Technicolor--that's what the Muggles call it, I believe--print of Potter when you can cast some sort of hex on him?"  
  
Lily snorted. "Please, Ilona. I have no time for that."  
  
"_Accio_." Ilona summoned the photo carefully, so as not to be stabbed by an infuriated Lily Evans. "Seems like you had enough time to wrangle handsome Mr. Potter's photo pretty badly."  
  
"I told you what I thought of that boy already."

"You're not being true to yourself."

"He's one of those boys who kisses and breaks up," Lily said flatly. "I can tell those types of guys. They smile at you, they make you feel like you're special, and they use you up for what you're worth before dumping you. I've experienced that sort of thing."

"But James hasn't done that. Hasn't even had a steady girlfriend since second year."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
Ilona sighed. She was getting annoyed with Lily's stubbornness, and the fact that she was right most of the time. "What about—"

"Don't you dare mention him, Ilona."

"He's your boyfriend, you know."

"He won't be tomorrow." Lily looked expressionless as she calmly tucked back a wisp of fiery hair and sighed. "He's not the person I thought he was. Not anymore, at least."

"He's not going to take it well."

"I've been hinting about it. Telling him how unhappy I am. Besides, he's been hanging around that dreadful Florence girl far too much for my liking." For a second she looked hurt, but recovered. "I didn't think it would last. Him being what he was, me being what I am—some things aren't mean to happen."

"I think something brought you two together for a reason, though," Ilona replied thoughtfully.

"Perhaps it did," Lily said, staring into the fire. "Well. I'm going to wrap it up for tonight. I'll see you upstairs."

"Right. Goodnight, Lily." Ilona crossed the room and passed the group of her housemates, who were still celebrating. Before heading up the stairs, she looked back at James, who was laughing at one of Remus Lupin's jokes. She turned just in time to see Lily pick up the bag of Every Flavor beans with a look of subtle curiousity and smiled, knowing that her breaking up with Severus Snape after her conversation with James Potter meant something big.


	4. Flowers and Lies

LyKe OmG I ChAnGeD mAh MiNd aNd HaRrY aNd The GaNg LyKe ToTuLLee BeLoNgZ 2 MEH!

[/end stupid sarcasm]

I made up the ones you haven't seen before. And this is probably the longest chapter, I should get to updating later…

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS :D

NOW, BACK IN ICKLE JAMSIE'S WORLD…

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James lay wide-eyed in his bed, still dazed by the day's events. He was the only one awake. Remus had gone up earlier, dreading the coming of the full moon in two nights' time. Sirius had fallen asleep before his head hit the pillows, and he'd started to mutter things in his slumber ("No, no, not now, Catalina, we're not completely alone quite yet…"). Peter…doubtless he was fast asleep as well.

_The Quidditch match_…that was definitely big. He'd never been so heralded for his Quidditch performances since two years ago when he first joined the team. After the game, there was even more buzz about him than about Dave Morgan, who Deanna Mackensie described as "the handsomest, smarmiest and most adorable bloke I've ever set me eyes on." _Maybe she changed her mind after he almost cost us a win_, he contemplated, cringing at the thought of tying with the Slytherins.

Remus would be transforming in two nights. Rather than feeling sad and angry that he wouldn't be able to talk to him like he used to be three years, James grinned. He'd been lucky that he and Sirius found out about Remus in their second year; since then, they'd been working on becoming Animagi, along with Peter Pettigrew. Last month they had gotten to use their abilities for the first time, and Sirius, Peter, and James found it exhilarating.

Then there was that girl. Lily Evans. _She's incredibly pretty_, he thought. _As pretty as she is bitchy._ He chuckled, remembering how he heard her shriek unforgettably and let out a chain of expletives upon her discovery of the pudding. 

_She deserved it_, he said silently to himself.

Did she really? 

_Yes. She did. She's a lovely girl, but incredibly cold and a bit harsh_.

But she helped you with your perfume problem.

Yeah, she did, but… 

But what?

_Nothing, I guess. Why are you talking to me? Shut up._

You started the conversation.

_I'm going to sleep._

He closed his eyes, trying to shut out the confusing voice inside his head. Winning an something for Gryffindor that hasn't been won in years, his upcoming transformation, Lily, talking to himself…he must be going nutters.

*

Lily woke up feeling angry and vexed. Not something new, but she was particularly furious about jumping into bed and being covered in vanilla pudding.

"Bastard," she muttered as she took out her wand and proceeded to make her bed, which Ilona had cleared of all food the night before.

She had a dream last night. She couldn't quite recall it clearly. All she remembered was that there were scenes flashing before her, illuminated by an eerie green light, and she heard shrieks as she saw slightly blurred faces. One seemed like it had no face; though it was the haziest, she could make out that it was white, with what looked strangely like crimson eyes. Another had dark hair, dark eyes, and his mouth was open, as if he was screaming. There was one with dark, matted hair, and hollow face whose countenance seemed twisted in anger, grief, and shame. There were three more; a pudgy man whose cheeks were flushed yet whose face exuded nervous excitement, and that of a baby, with dark black hair and vaguely familiar green eyes. As she watched the child, she remembered how, curiously, a small lightning bolt-shaped line began to appear on his forehead—weakly at first, but the shape became ever more distinct.

The last face had a startling resemblance to her own. Dark red hair, bottle green eyes. The woman in her dream looked panicked, shaken, scared. Lily had watched for several seconds as the woman's mouth moved, obviously saying something, but what, Lily didn't know. The face's eyes closed, but before they did Lily saw something in them she didn't think she could have—something that made her stomach churn—but before she could make sure that it was what she thought it was, the woman screamed, and her face was clouded by a strong light.

That was when she had opened her own eyes. She hadn't screamed; she wasn't quite scared, but more curious, maybe excited. She lay on her side, gasping, trying to remember each detail as if it might slip away. Yet…what about what she saw in the woman's eyes? Why was that there, reflected in who she was sure was her older self's eyes?

Trying to erase it from her mind, she headed down the stairs. _It's just a dream. Forget about it_, she told herself, though she wasn't convinced. She had a feeling that it wouldn't be the last time she'd see it, either.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a cheerful greeting.

"Sleep well, Mademoiselle Evans?"

She knew who it was. She was sort of happy that he would stop and say good morning to her, annoyed at why he was doing it, and extremely angry at what he did last night.

"I'm fine," she replied coolly, brushing back a piece of red hair. "Nearly choked on Every Flavor Beans given by an idiot. Ruined my best night robes. Had a strange dream with a bunch of hazy faces that I hardly recognized." Lily looked at him, puzzled that his mouth dropped open and then closed several times. She balked at this.

"If you've got something to say, Potter, then say it."

James recovered quickly. "Nothing, actually, except sorry about your robes." He blushed, clutching something in the back of his own robes.

Lily stared him down suspiciously. "What've you got behind your back?"

"Nothing."

"I expected that from you."

"Actually it is. Something, I mean." He threw a charming at her, and outstretched his hand so he could pull her off the last missing step, which, to his shock, she took. Her hand was very soft.

Lily tried to look behind his back, tried to summon it to her, but it stayed put.

"An anti-charm charm," he replied smugly, looking pleased.

She tapped her foot impatiently. "Fine, Potter, if you're going to pie me in the face with another one of your stupid foods, then do it now."

"As you wish."

She closed her eyes, partly in anticipation for cream smothering her face, and partly because she was afraid of what would happen if she didn't close them. Instead, she opened her eyes after several seconds to a bundle of brilliantly colored wildflowers with a lily in the middle.

Lily tried to hate them and him. But she couldn't. Not even if she tried her hardest. Instead, she looked up at James, who was smiling a little nervously.

"D'you like them? If not, I didn't really reckon you would, it's just an apology for—"

"They're beautiful," she almost whispered.

At that moment she softened up to James Potter. _He's still repulsive, arrogant, and full of himself, but_…

"Thank you," she said finally, closing her eyes. "They're absolutely lovely."

James just smiled. He turned to head out the portrait hole, but just before he reached it, he heard Lily call out to him.

"Potter—"

He turned around. She stood there, with the flowers cradled in her arm, the delicate lily nestled in her hair. He swallowed.

"Why did you do this?"

He stood there, not having any response. _Why _had_ he done this?_ What compelled him to sneak out under his Invisibility Cloak to pick flowers off the school grounds?

James thought of an answer. "My way of apologizing, I guess." He gave her a small grin and disappeared behind the portrait hole.

Lily stood stupidly at the foot of the stairs, her head tilted, looking more confused than ever.

"What was that, Lily?"

She whirled around to see Ilona inches away from her, looking extremely amused and smug.

"Those are from Potter, I'm presuming."

Lily brushed the flower out of her hair crossly.

"So what if it is?" she snarled.

"Nothing, really. I just think it's rather sweet."

"My ass."

"You like them."

"Do not." Lily's eye twitched slightly.

"Don't deny it, I heard you," Ilona laughed. Eye twitching is a definite sign of a lie. "And you were wearing one in your hair."

"So?"

"I'm just saying…"

"You have a reason to?"

"Well—"

"Then don't," Lily said, with a tone that clearly meant _ended of discussion_. Still, when Lily thought she had turned away, Ilona saw that Lily had picked up the flower that she'd brushed out of her hair and tucked it into her robes before heading out the portrait hole.

Ilona turned around, sensing that someone was there, and came face to face with Remus Lupin.

She laughed, cocking her head to the side.

"Fancy seeing you here, Remus," she said, reaching out to touch his light brown hair.

"And you," he replied, before smiling gently. "What'd you do to Lily Evans to make her change her mind about James?"

She giggled again. "Nothing really. I don't think pudding helped much, although I would say she was quite charmed by the flowers."

"I'd imagine," Remus said, giving her one last grin before looking at her with uncomfortable seriousness. "I'm leaving again tomorrow."

"What?"

He could tell she was disappointed. Her honey-colored eyes suddenly looked tired, distress etched all over her face.

"Grandmum's ill again. Father said I had to come home tomorrow."

He hated lying to her. He hated himself. He hated who he was.

"Family comes first, I guess, right?" she told him, smiling weakly. "Besides, I know how much your Grandmum means to you. Take care, send my prayers to her, and come back soon." She turned away again, but he grabbed her wrist and kissed her.

"I'm leaving after Divination," he said, his nose touching hers." Keep Lily and James at a safe distance for me, alright?" He smiled.

Ilona nodded, feeling warm and cold and full and empty as she watched him pull away and go through the common room exit.


End file.
